November 28, 2012

Man, what a blowout. Yelp’s District 01 Alley Party was our last Elite Event for 2012, and what a cracking way to see the year off it was. Randle Lane is the Clark Kent of alleyways – unassuming on the outside, but dig a little deeper and you’ll find the Superman of Sydney event spaces, District 01. Home to fashion shows, movie nights, markets and pop-up dinners, Yelpers of all persuasions came a-buzzing and lifted the roof off the joint.

It was a steamy summer evening and Mountain Goat Beer had the perfect antidote: frosty cold brews straight from the ice bucket. Sydney rep Ed was on deck slinging Steam Ale, Hightail Ale, a Citra-driven IPA and not one but two special treats – a small batch Rare Breed called the Before The Dawn Black IPA, and the ultra-limited Triple Hightail beer, created to celebrate Mountain Goat's 15th birthday!

The back corner housed the Bionade beach bar, where two beautiful Bavarian blondes handed out the drink for a better life, a 100% organic soft drink brewed like just like a beer. Herb and Elderberry got the popular vote for tastiest flavours on the night. Fresh outta Crown St,the dudes at The Original California Burrito Company brought a metric ton of burritos, nachos, and giant quesadillas with guac and pico de gallo. How tasty is their food? Considering it was vapour inside an hour, pretty damn delicious – Yelpers love their Mexican.

Music/fashion/culture website SomethingYouSaid.com played DJ for the night, with editor-in-chief Bobby Townsend personally curating the playlist before local singer-songwriter Daniel Acheson grabbed his guitar and finished on a brilliant rendition of Hallelujah, Jeff Buckley-style. There were even some international Yelp Elites in attendance all the way from L.A.

Special thanks to Sam MacDonald Photography for providing the happy snaps of the night. Want more?